Hot Spiced Apple Cider

Written by Danny.

I am convinced that Spiced Apple Cider sold our house. Sure we had a good agent, staged it pretty well, kept it tidy with 2 VERY young kids for almost 2 consecutive months – but the aromas of the cider simmering on the stove on one particular visit made it feel like somewhere you wanted to stay. And they bought the house.

As you read about in Monday’s post, Aimee had some friends over to our house last Friday for a good cause, and I was doing my utmost to practice what I preach and be of help . I both wanted to and needed to make something, so that I could more easily convince Aimee to get off her feet and rest. And so our annual holiday favorite beverage, Spiced Apple Cider was made.

Hot Spiced Apple Cider is a seriously easy thing to make, even for someone who seldom plays with “spices and stuff”, and the best part is that it is relatively fool-proof. I was told that I shouldn’t have sliced the ginger quite so thin, as it makes that particular ingredient that much more potent. This is reflected in the recipe below.

As has been discussed before on Simple Bites, the quality of your ingredients will affect how much of them you will need. I.e. if you really do have fresh ginger, it is going to kick a lot harder than if you use older stuff.

This explains the reference to the cinnamon. We don’t have the seemingly ubiquitous 3″ dry sticks of cinnamon, but have some seriously crazy gnarly stuff from Mexico. Just one small stick was enough to impart the right flavors.

Fresh apple cider is sometimes called 'cold pressed' or 'fresh pressed' and is an unfiltered, unsweetened pure apple juice. It is unpasteurized, and recognizable by its murky brown color. Look for it in the refrigerated area of the organics section in your grocery store.

Ingredients

12 cups fresh pressed apple cider

3/4 cup raw cane sugar

1 crazy cinnamon stick

12 whole cloves

3 whole star anise

1 small chunk, about 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, peeled and sliced in to no more than 3 pieces.

2 stalks lemon grass, bruised (or 1 sliced lemon)

1 big and 1 small bay leaf

17 peppercorns (no more no less)

yeah right! seriously, though, I put a large teaspoon of peppercorns in for kick)

Instructions

The lemon grass will most likely not fit in your pot. Chop 1/2" or so off the nub, and 5-6" on the other end. Smash it with the flat of a knife or a cast iron pan and then chop it into 3-4" lengths.

I also manhandled the cinnamon and bay leaves. Other cooks use the words "crushed" or "bruised" for this action.

Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan. Place over medium heat, and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil,stirring occasionally.

Once the cider has boiled, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes.

Strain and serve hot.

#version#

What is your favorite hot beverage to warm up with on cool December days?

About Danny

Danny Bourque is a mechanical engineer who is known at both home and work as either “the geek” or “the numbers guy”. He is very methodical and genuinely loves to analyze almost anything that piques his interest – including food.

Hot chocolate. Pretty much all varieties too; homemade, instant, coffee shop… For me, apple cider based drinks are more for fall and early winter before the snow hits. Of course, this could be because I can’t actually buy any fresh apple cider anymore as it’s out of season. I will keep this in mind for next year.

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I'm Aimée, and this blog is devoted to family focused food. This is an encouraging community that offers comprehensive recipes, simple preserving tutorials, and honest tips for cooking with kids. This is our family food life. Join us! Read more...